Carole Carson

Trivia Question: Is Patterned Eating Wrecking Your Weight-Loss Goal?

More than half of the adults in the United States consume more calories on weekend days than they do on weekdays. How many extra calories are consumed by these weekend food warriors?

1. 84 to 411

2. 45 to 85

3. 210 to 502

The correct answer is number1: 84 to 411 calories. The extra calories consumed on holidays is even higher―340. To keep weekend and holiday eating from wrecking your weight-loss effort, try these tips:

• Wake up at your regular time on weekends and eat breakfast (instead of sleeping late and consuming a heavy brunch).

• Weigh in on Friday morning and Sunday night.

• Keep a journal and record your food intake.

• Minimize alcoholic drinks; their empty calories pack on pounds.

• Increase your exercise time on weekends.

Bathing suit season is around the corner. If you manage your eating on weekends and holidays, you’ll be ready to bare arms.

Make Pasta a Little Healthier

Some of us love pasta yet want to lose surplus pounds. The good news is that we don’t have to give up pasta entirely as long as we focus on reasonable portions and prepare healthier versions. Here are four tips:

• Use whole grain pastas

• Add vegetables (peppers, onions or mushrooms)

• Choose lean sources of protein (chicken or tuna)

• Create your own low-calorie sauces

A simple tomato sauce can be made from chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs and spices. An easy non-tomato sauce can be made from a little olive oil, pureed red peppers and seasonings. And pasta alfredo can also be made with yogurt in place of sour cream. As Julia Child used to say, “Bon appétit!”

Photo courtesy of Zsuzsanna Kilian

For Your Health’s Sake, Hold the Salt!

Experts advise healthy Americans to eat no more than 1 teaspoon of salt a day, and they recommend that individuals with high blood pressure consume even less. Yet the average American consumes 2 teaspoons a day. Surplus salt is dangerous because it increases blood pressure that can trigger heart disease, stroke or kidney disease. Too much salt also increases the risk of stomach cancer and makes us feel bloated.

How do we end up eating too much salt? Not from the salt shaker on the table. Up to 80 percent of our salt is hidden in processed foods. Here are four ways that you can use to moderate your salt consumption:

1. Avoid the saltiest foods: deli and processed meats, canned soups and salty condiments, like soy sauce.

2. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables along with whole grains. Most unprocessed foods are low in salt.

3. Eat at home. Restaurant food, whether fast food or fine dining, typically contains more salt than home-cooked meals.

4. Read labels. Many food manufacturers are voluntarily reducing the salt in their products with no loss of flavor. For instance, low-salt soy sauce is available.

One recent study concluded that if each one of us ate one-third less salt a day (a change we would hardly notice), we could prevent 100,000 heart attacks and 92,000 deaths every year and net $240 billion in health care savings. I’m willing to give up some salt to achieve this goal and improve my health. What about you?

Photo courtesy of Zsuzsanna Kilian

How Much Exercise Is Needed to Lose Weight?

When I first talked to my doctor about my fitness and weight-loss goal, I began by describing my exercise plan. He responded by saying “There aren’t enough hours in the day to exercise off the pounds you need to lose.”

Although his statement was blunt, a recently reported study of 34,000 women supports its accuracy. Researchers found that women who are middle-aged or older need an hour of exercise a day just to avoid gaining weight. These regularly exercising women did not, however, limit their calories in any way. What I concluded from the study (and what’s consistent with my own experience) is that even 420 minutes of exercise a week is not enough to shed pounds. Calories must also be reduced.

Notice that I said reduced calories, not less food. By choosing foods that are high in volume and nutritionally sound, women can lose weight even while increasing the amount of food eaten. For ideas on how to achieve this, you might want to check out Dr. Howard Shapiro’s book Picture Perfect Weight Loss. I’ve used his book in my fitness classes because the pictures of food dramatically demonstrate how much a person can eat and still lose weight―if the food choices are high in volume and nutrition. You can get an idea of what I am talking about at http://pictureperfectweightloss.com/demo.htm.

Exercise has wonderful benefits: our bodies were designed to move. With regular exercise, we have more energy, we sleep better, our bones and muscles are stronger, our skin and overall appearance improve, our balance and flexibility are enhanced, we are sharper mentally, we make better decisions, and our heart and other organs perform better. Exercise definitely has an essential role to play in helping us achieve fitness. But bottom line, to achieve weight loss, we must combine exercise with healthful eating.

Photo courtesy of Ove Tøpfer

Three Tips for Eating Right: Feed Your Nose and Shrink Your Stomach

Too often, the problem with eating right is that it is not as satisfying as eating wrong. Our food preferences often stem from our training from birth to enjoy overly salty, sweet and fatty foods. For example, who doesn’t love a chocolate chip cookie? But who can stop with just one? The combination of the three flavors (salt, sugar and fat) is hyperpalatable, according to Dr. David Kessler, author of The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite.

When we change to a more healthful diet with less salt, sugar and fat, we initially don’t enjoy our food as much. Gratification is delayed until we see a slimmer self in the mirror or start to feel more energetic.

Besides the preference for this unhealthy trio of tastes, another piece of the puzzle involves how eating triggers specific mechanics that translate into feelings of satisfaction, hunger and pleasure. Researchers have concluded that satisfaction is initially registered in the brain rather than the stomach. Although the process seems counterintuitive, the way to trigger a sensation of satisfaction is through the nose.

In one research study of 1,436 subjects, noncaloric crystals were added to food to stimulate satisfaction. The results were astounding: the average weight loss was 30 pounds.

Olfactory nerves are directly linked to the emotional center in our brain, so an appetizing smell activates a specific part of our brain. Brain scans can measure and monitor the degree of activation. Messages sent to various parts of the body from the activation tell us whether we are satisfied or want to eat more.

The research has major implications for food manufacturers, who are keenly aware of the impact of aroma. The development of aromas and additives in foods is an $18.6 billion industry. Clearly, food manufacturers understand the link between smell and satisfaction.

Most importantly for us, however, this scientific research suggests that aromas can be used to fight obesity. Here are three tips in using aromas to trigger satisfaction and become more FIT: 

F: Focus on adding aromatic spices to your dishes as you prepare them. A little basil in a soup or fresh mint on a piece of melon adds fabulous flavor. A couple of fresh herbs and spices growing on the window ledge of your kitchen can make the difference between a drab meal and a meal that your family will ask you to prepare again.

I: Ingest your food first through your nose. Talented wine tasters perform their best work with their noses. If you sniff your plate and don’t say wow, then chances are good that you won’t leave the table satisfied. And remember to make the plate aesthetically appealing as well.

T: Take the time to really appreciate food. Food is culture; food is life. Too often in our day-to-day lives, we eat mechanically—for example, when distracted by television. Cultures that enjoy a healthy relationship with food emphasize the daily pleasure in and enjoyment of food. Find a middle ground.

In some non-Western cultures, food (especially spices and herbs) is considered medicine and may be the sole source of healthcare. If food is medicine and obesity is the illness, then we need to replace the unhealthy trio—sugar, salt and unhealthy fats—with herbs and spices.

Make the time to give your body the nutrition it needs and the satisfaction it craves. When you do, you’ll find that your pleasure in food—rather than your iron discipline—will eventually shrink your waistline.

Is Junk Food Addictive?

The notion that junk food, like narcotics, is addictive and that this addiction explains the national crisis in obesity is gaining traction. Recent findings based on research with rats reported in Science News (November 21, 2009) provide worrisome support for this idea.

Rats fed a diet rich in junk food (processed cakes, sausage, bacon, cheesecake, etc.) quickly adopted the habits of drug addicts. They wanted more and more junk food and needed more and more to feel normal; they refused to eat regular food once they were hooked on the rich, sweet food even if rejecting normal food meant starving; they continued to eat junk food even when consuming it triggered an electric shock to their feet; and once they went back to rat chow, their bodies took a long time to recover. In fact, some never did return to normal eating habits.

Tests on the rats’ brains and intestines during and after the rats consumed junk food showed biochemical changes. Researchers concluded that the brains and digestive systems of the rats had become captive of the chemical changes resulting from eating junk food—the very definition of addiction. And like drug addiction, junk food addition can produce changes that are difficult to unwire.

If the experiment with rats is predictive of human behavior, then the chemical changes in the rats’ bodies and the rats’ addictive habits could explain the growing problem of obesity in the United States. As we consume more and more rich, sugary food, we will want more and more, and we’ll gain more and more weight.

Where’s the light at the end of the tunnel? Do you see cheese at the end of this maze? Because I’m an optimist at heart, I’m going to keep looking.

Eat in Haste with No Regrets in Leisure

On vacation in Kauai, the first thing I notice is that time takes on a different dimension.

At home, time contracts. I feel pressure to move quickly and get lots done. Here, time expands. I patiently stand in line at the local market. Unloading groceries, I take the time to chat with a new neighbor who’s outside sweeping the sidewalk.

Nothing matters except the current moment. This is especially true when it comes to managing hunger and eating.

I always get ravenously hungry after being outdoors playing tennis or bobbing in the ocean waves. Before I decided to get fit, my body easily overruled my mind. Without thinking, I ate whatever was in front of me and miserably regretted the choice for the rest of the day. My haste went directly to my waist.

Now, except for an occasional foray into a Subway restaurant, I try to avoid fast-food chains, because french fries and chocolate milkshakes are my downfall. Knowing how easily I’m tempted, I keep my own “fast food” in the refrigerator to bail me out.

When I feel hungry, I decide if I want something sweet or salty, hot or cold. Do I want something filling or just a nibble to tide me over? Depending on the answer, I pick one of my “fast foods.”

1. Banana: Taking only a few seconds to peel, the

fruit is wonderfully sweet and nourishing to boot. At 90 calories, it’s a bargain.

2. Iced chocolate macadamia nut coffee with skim

milk and Splenda: There’s just enough milk in the coffee to provide some protein. The chocolate sweetness makes me think I’ve splurged.

3. Applesauce: A little cup of unsweetened

applesauce is wonderfully refreshing, especially when combined with a spoonful of nonfat cottage cheese. Between the two, I’m good for an hour, although I’ve eaten only 80 calories.

4. Popcorn: Whether popped with hot air or in the

microwave, the snack is ready in minutes. The low-calorie version produces 2-3 cups of popcorn (fiber) with only 110 calories.

5. Hard boiled egg: I eat it dipped in lemon pepper.

Adding two pieces of Melba toast still brings the total calories to a mere 100. Between the protein and the toast, I’ll be satisfied for a couple of hours.

By sharing five of my favorites, I’m encouraging you to come up with your own list. Your favorites probably won’t be the same as mine. All that matters is that they work for you. That way, when you eat in haste, you won’t regret it later.

What is Your Dangerous Idea?

What do you believe but cannot prove? What is your dangerous idea? What are you optimistic about?

These intriguing questions are the subjects of books whose author, John Brockman, challenges our thinking about almost everything. Each is a collection of essays from some of the smartest people on the planet. When exposed to the innovative thinking in the essays, I remind myself that ideas once considered radical, even heretical, in one century are widely accepted in the next. If nothing else, reading the essays stretches my imagination.

So what’s my dangerously radical idea?

My idea is that just as obesity is contagious, so is getting and staying fit. Becoming fit can be a fun-filled, lifelong adventure. I cannot prove this idea, although I can offer evidence in support of it.

When I chronicled my own fitness and weight-loss efforts and told the stories of others who had undertaken similar efforts, residents in our small community took notice.

When I issued an invitation in the local newspaper to join a weight-loss program, over 1,000 people showed up. Each week attendance grew, until we had over 200 teams. We lost nearly 4 tons in 8 weeks. From my perspective, that phenomenon demonstrated the truth of my idea.

Our local experiment triggered the next question: Will this idea spread? The increasing number of community weight-loss programs springing up across the country is a good sign.

According to an article by Michael Shermer in the September 2007 issue of Scientific American, several elements are needed for a movement or an idea to gain acceptance:

1. The idea takes a stand for something, not against something, and is based on a positive assertion.

2. The idea uses an intelligent, rational approach to tackle myths and raises consciousness and awareness.

3. The idea embraces the uniqueness of self and others, and it requires us to respect each other.

4. The idea encourages exploration, experimentation and a sense of adventure.

If I look at my idea for these characteristics, I think it passes the test.

First, my idea does not argue against obesity, poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles; rather, it asserts that getting fit can be fun, educational and enjoyable.

Second, my idea challenges the myth that losing weight involves dieting, deprivation and boring exercise—all requiring heroic amounts of willpower and discipline. It also challenges the myth that weight is inevitably regained. Instead, my idea is based on rational decisions about what and how much healthy, satisfying food to eat each day and how many hours to devote each week to fun-filled exercise.

Third, my idea acknowledges that the path to fitness is unique for every person, depending upon his or her age, size and time of life. Given that “one size does not fit all,” my idea requires respect for others’ choices.

And fourth, my idea asserts that the pursuit of fitness involves exploring new foods, experimenting with different exercises and learning new, healthful habits. The journey to fitness is a personal adventure.

Is my idea taking hold? I don’t know. But what I do know is that I’m having lots of fun promoting fitness and hope that more people will adopt the radical idea that getting fit is contagious and fun! (539)

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Dubbed “An Apostle for Fitness” by the Wall Street Journal, Carole Carson is the author of From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction, which chronicles her own 62-pound weight loss and the Nevada County Meltdown. Visit www.fromfat2fit.com for more information.

Waitingitis—Five Symptoms of a Potentially Fatal Syndrome

I tore the meniscus in my left knee playing tennis. I felt the tear as it occurred. Arthroscopic surgery easily fixed the problem but recovery forced me to examine my views on the use of time.

Once home and with the worst of the pain dissipating, I immediately became an impatient patient. How long, I whined, would I have to wait before I could resume my life?

When I opened my eyes each morning, I asked: “Is today the day I return to normal?” Then I tried to walk. My stiffened knee reminded me I must wait a little longer!

In this vulnerable condition, I started thinking about all the other periods in my life where I felt suspended between the “before” and the “yet to come.” Limbo periods seem to be a regular feature of my life. In high school, I waited impatiently until I could leave home and start college. I waited through my first pregnancy by marking off each long day. I waited in the hospital to see if my daughter would survive cardiac arrest. The list goes on.

When I tally up the time, I realize how much of my life I’ve spent in one spot, idling my engine, waiting for the next stage or the next event. Waitingitis reminds me of driving a car with the emergency brake on—very hard to gain momentum and disastrous on the running parts of the vehicle.

In my medically imposed leisure, I’ve had time to identify five symptoms of this malady that could easily be confused with excusitis or blamingitis. Although waitingitis isn’t life-threatening, like obesity, it can lead to other conditions that are, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and even dementia. Immunized with information, maybe I can avoid the damage of waitingitis by recognizing its symptoms:

1. Downward Spiral: A sense of decay and deterioration is present. If depression doesn’t cause passivity, it certainly takes over if I feel helpless long enough.

2. Excuses: Life is filled with remarkably plausible excuses that I try to convince myself, and others, to believe.

3. Powerlessness: The cause of my waiting always seems beyond my control. And since I have no control over what is going to happen next, my only alternative is to wait.

4. Myths: If I repeatedly tell stories about how real the obstacles are, I convince not only myself but others as well.

5. Self-Pity: It is easier to talk myself into accepting my situation rather than to seek the unique opportunities in each particular circumstance.

Recognizing the dark role of waitingitis and noticing when I am in that state freed me to handle my recovery more positively. While I couldn’t do everything, I could still do floor exercises in the morning with my good leg and upper body. As part of the healing process I noticed both improvements and setbacks. By keeping track of progress in my diary, I took charge of my outlook.

Going further, in a real turnaround, I began to realize the huge opportunity I had to use this time constructively. I became rested, I read broadly, and I had time to reflect and replenish my emotional bank. Best of all, I had a ready-made excuse to enjoy the upcoming holidays without all the fuss and work!

Shortly before the knee surgery, I finished teaching a workshop—From Fat to Fit—offered at the local hospital. Like me, they’ve finally realized the destructive power of delaying their intent to get fit. They are having fun getting fit, they are designing their own individual programs, and they are participating together—surrounded by a support team of their own creation.

We don’t have to wait for the perfect time to begin adopting healthful habits. Now is not only the best time to begin but it is the only time we have. The rest is obstacle illusions.

Coming to My Senses—Time Well Wasted

In an attempt to convey my resentment of the tyrannical clock, I once wrote a poem about a woman who was imprisoned by her wristwatch.

For years, it seems, my life has been measured in rushed increments. A half-hour to get home from work; an hour to unload the dishwasher, prepare dinner and start a load of laundry; and then a few minutes to pay some bills after a quick glance at the mail.

Living under the pressure of time, I gained weight and exercised very little. With a perpetual sense of no time to lose, I had no time to lose—pounds, that is. Only after I retired did I take the time to shape up, dropping over 60 pounds in the process.

Even in retirement, I feel time is scarce. When I become engrossed in writing, a few minutes can morph into hours. Before long, the day is over. Where did the time go?

Because the minutes fly by, I make myself start each morning with an hour of playtime on my living-room floor. The routine is a collection of exercises from a yoga instructor, a physical therapist and gym classes. I also include exercises that I made up. When I begin, my mind bombards me with tasks to accomplish that day. To escape their oppression, I repeat the mantra “Work can wait. First things first.”

During the exercise routine, I pay attention to how my body feels. Some days I can do more, other days less. I extend my limbs and stretch my back. In the process, I’m reminded that body awareness was a given as a child—not something I sought out each day. I didn’t need to come to my senses; I lived in them.

I experience the same conflict when I quit work in the middle of the day to play tennis—play being the operative word. Never am I so carried back to my childhood days as when I am running around on the tennis court with my friends. I laugh when I succeed; I groan when I miss. I give my partner a high five when we make a great play. The game isn’t about winning—though I hate to lose—but about being outdoors, running around in the open air and playing with friends.

While my self-discipline is spotty, my appetite for play is strong enough to throw off the tyranny of time. I can count on myself to exercise regularly—not for health reasons but because it‘s fun. Maybe my heart appreciates the exercise. Maybe my lungs function better. Maybe I can move more easily. Maybe I have more energy. Maybe I reduce my risk of stroke. Maybe my waistline stays trimmer. These results are all wonderful outcomes—but they aren’t the reasons I get out and play.

I exercise because, for a few minutes every day, I want to forget I’m grown-up. I want to be lighthearted and escape the seriousness of everyday affairs. For an hour or so, I want to live only in the moment.

John Seivert, a physical therapist, gives his clients one rule to achieve fitness: Play regularly. He said we will know what our exercise is because doing it will elicit uncontrollable smiles, fits of laughter and childlike behavior. Before you know it, John assures us, we will become more fit than we ever dreamed possible, no matter what our age.

Nothing reveals our values more than how we allocate our time. For the joy of it, I’m going to continue to spend hours each week playing—whether I’m stretching on my living-room floor or running on the tennis court. These moments help me come to my senses. It is time well wasted.